Traveling, Learning, Growing

09/29/18

Today was a pretty chill day, just a relaxing Saturday. The morning was spent doing homework, hanging out with my host sisters, and talking with my host mom. For breakfast, we had 콩나물국 (bean sprout soup), 밥 (rice), and 생선 (fish). During breakfast, my host mom told me about someone that she talked to {not exactly sure the relation} who has a 15-year-old daughter that would be willing to pay me to speak English to her and have an English meeting either at their house or a cafe. Honestly, the proposition sounds amazing~ I would love another way to make money while I’m here. I don’t know if I’ll have time… that’s the thing. If it’s on weekdays, I could maybe do it on days with no Korean class. I’ll have time on most weekends but do I want to spend my free time tutoring? I don’t know… but if it is only like an hour, that would not be too much of an infringement.

Anyways, after breakfast, I continued to talk to my host mom as we both enjoyed some tea. I usually don’t drink tea at home but when she asked, I said yes because I wanted to spend the time with her.

The rest of the early afternoon was spent studying. I know boring boring boring! However, I need to study plenty before Monday cause I have a quiz. Plus, I’m just behind in general in so many aspects.

Lunch was 칼국수 (noodle soup) which was delicious. My favorite food is definitely noodles— all day every day. I don’t discriminate against noodles.

A little bit after 3 pm, we left the house to go to the housewarming party for my host dad’s colleague. We drove for an hour and 30 minutes… it was pretty far away.

I also did my host sister’s hair! (I know… I am not the best…)

When we got to their apartment complex, I was in awe. It was so big and beautiful! The playgrounds for the kids were even ornate! Wow! The couple we were visiting also had two children— twin 5-year-old girls. They were very adorable. When I walked in, I immediately greeted everyone but they didn’t pay much attention to me which is a good thing too I guess?

We hung out around the house for a while which was pretty awkward. Like yes, it’s not my home but it’s also the home of someone who doesn’t even know me so I was a bit anxious. I hung out in the “library room” with my host sisters. They read the books they brought while I wrote blog posts and studied a bit of Korean.

Dinner time rolled around, and I was seated at the adult table. And to be honest, I have no idea what we were eating. I know one of the dishes was a type of raw fish. There were also spring rolls made with crab and pepper and these deep-fried things? I only had one and couldn’t tell if it was meat or not? Maybe it is a Chinese dish?

My host dad asked me to introduce myself to the group while my host mom hyped me up saying I’m good at Korean and I’m like what??? No, I’m not! I quickly introduced myself and then almost struggled to answer “Where in the US are you from?” The guy that asked simply said it in a different way than I’m used to so I felt pretty stupid when it took me an extra couple of seconds to spit out an answer. I hate when I can’t even answer questions that I should understand… moments like these make me think that my Korean will never improve.

After dinner, I went with my host sisters and the twin girls to the park inside the apartment complex. Chasing them while they rode their scooters was tough work! And one of the girls, the older of the twins, fell off her scooter and wailed to no end. I immediately ran over to her and carried her, tried to bounce her up and down and make her feel better. Eventually, she stopped crying because she wanted to play and not go inside. The rest of their playtime consisted of collecting leaves and shining the phone light on them because they were “cold.” Too precious.

The rest of the time at the party was spent with me and my host sister moving around the house together, being a bit bored. We took some selfies on Snow and made this video on this Korean app of us two.

We sang Happy Birthday to my host dad and ate an ice cream cake because apparently, his birthday is on Monday?!? I love that they waited to tell me two days before… it’s okay. I asked my host mom what his favorite dessert was and she said cheesecake, so I’m gonna try to get that for him~ {After class on Monday I think!}

We got home at almost 11 pm and I worked on my workbook pages till about midnight. {Glad I got them all done!} So tomorrow will just be focusing on my writing, studying for my quiz, and memorizing vocab~

09/28/18

I heard rustling in the kitchen: utensils clattering and bowls being scraped. I heard muffled tired groans and the front door being closed several times. I decided to sleep in this morning because I really wanted the extra hour, so I didn’t eat breakfast with my host family. Though, I did hear them doing their daily routine. Once everyone left the house, I stirred awake and jumped out of my bed. {I mean literally though since my bed is lofted. I literally jumped off rather than using the built-in stairs.}

I prepared my breakfast quickly from what was left out on the table. I grabbed a bowl and filled it up with the soup sitting on the stove and some rice from the rice cooker— I figured out how to open it once again. While eating, I FaceTimed one of my best friends back home for about 1.5 hours. We hadn’t really talked in two weeks since I arrived in Korea {This does not include talking through Snapchat videos and text messages}. I caught her up with my life while she did the same. She was coming back to our hometown for our high school homecoming football game and reuniting with other friends in our friend group. My heart hurt a bit while hearing this; I would have loved to go as well— not to watch the game or anything… but to be with them.

After our conversation, I got ready for the day. I was really taking in the last weekday morning I would have to wake up at a decent hour and relax. Starting next week, it was back to school for me!

On the agenda today was a birthday celebration for Jacquelyn and Hunter. We planned to meet at this unlimited Shabu Shabu place at 1 pm. It was located under one of the 홍대 subway exits. Luckily, we were able to get 15 of us to come! Unfortunately, McKenzie wasn’t feeling well so she didn’t come with. I hope that we can somewhat continue to get the majority of us out to do things at least once or twice month… I would really like that.

At the Shabu Shabu place, I sat with Kaitlyn and Katie. I know I know.. I should be sitting with new people so I can get close to other people on the program. I will try that from now on~ It is just so easy to stick with what you know, right?

I have never really eaten Shabu Shabu before so I was like “Kaitlyn, take the reins of this operation!” It was an all you can eat lunch, so we piled on the food. We had 소고기 (beef), 칼국수 (a type of noodles), 콩나물 (bean sprouts), 두부 (tofu), 떡 (rice cake), and a variety of other things. They even had this 포섯건장 (fried mushrooms) thing that was delicious! I ate way too many…

After we finished filling up on the savory meal, we went straight to dessert all though our full bellies were begging us not to try to stuff them more. The restaurant had its own self-serve 빙수 (Korean style shaved ice)!!! We had to take advantage of that.

Kaitlyn and I collaborated to make a 빙수 masterpiece! We loaded on condensed milk, chocolate chips, 인절미 ice cream, and a chocolate cookie to top it all off.

Once we all stuffed our stomachs to near explosion, we split off to do different things. One group of us decided to go to 이대 and study/ work on college applications in a cafe while the other half of us decided to walk around 홍대 {shopping/window shopping}. We planned to get some kind of dessert for the birthday girls.

Jacquelyn took us to this building with lots of these photo sticker booths inside. I have always wanted to try them! I didn’t get a chance to last time I was in Korea! So Kaitlyn and I & Liam and Jacquelyn took some photos and they turned out so cute! And it was also very crazy because although we didn’t see what each other were doing, we ended up picking the same photo background and doing the same poses in three out of the four photos!

While we were walking around the main streets of 홍대 near exit 9, we ran into this Kpop band called The Rose busking. Though I am not up to date with everything that is Kpop, I have listened to The Rose in the past because they are an actual band and play the style of music I really like. We got there pretty late, so there was already a circular wall of fangirls surrounding the group. I couldn’t see anything. Luckily, Liam is very tall so his arm extended was higher than anyone’s heads or phones— so I could see a bit from his phone camera.

Then a handful of us got bored so we left to watch these dancing buskers. There was this one guy that came up to Liam and was like “Hey Pink Brother! 핑크형!” I couldn’t help but laugh! Liam was all like “Bruh I’m definitely younger why is he calling me that?” Jacquelyn goes, “because you are white.”

We watched them perform and try to pull Liam from the audience to dance. Oh, I could have stayed there and watched him try to convince Liam all day. They were successful with one foreign girl; she danced to Twice’s TT. She did a pretty good job!

After our busker watching session, we left to try to find Dairy Queen. Many of us thought this was a myth— that there was no Dairy Queen in 홍대. We even asked one of the tourist guides wearing all red; he had no idea. However, Liam was adamant about going to DQ so we went on an excursion to find it!

And we actually did! I was so surprised, to be honest. It was called DQ: Grill & Chill. We originally planned to get an ice cream cake but everyone was pretty full from lunch still so we instead just got individual ice creams. I paid for Hunter’s because the birthday girl should never pay!

I ordered a Green Tea Oreo Blizzard because I wanted to get something I wouldn’t be able to find in America. And it was very delicious— Oreo and green tea are an excellent combination. I was too excited to eat it; therefore, I don’t have a picture… but I bet I’ll be back. The prices were really good~

After Dairy Queen, I decided to head home so that I could come home somewhat early? Because of Korean classes, I haven’t been able to get home earlier than 7pm!

When I made it home, one of my host sisters immediately ran up to me and told me to put down my bag. She said that we’re going to blah blah and eating dinner there. I was so confused by what she said and didn’t understand where we were going until I watched my host dad put it into the car GPS: we were going to Costco! In Korea!

When I walked into the huge building I realized that looked pretty similar to the ones in America. I felt a sense of “home” if you will when I did walk in because I saw Christmas decorations everywhere. At Costco, half of the products are American or foreign while the other half are Korean products. They also had the Costco general brand Kirkland! But the best similarity {I bet most can agree with me on this one} was that there were free samples being given out.

My host family and I just walked around to each table getting free samples: chocolate coins, fish, bacon, cheese, etc.

We mostly came to Costco, I later found out, to buy Halloween candy and gifts for a 집들이 {house warming party}. I was excited to see the Halloween candy but when we got to that tiny aisle, I realized that none of the candy was American or would be given out for American Halloween. The closest were bags of Halloween shaped pretzels but that is just a fake treat. Where were the Twix bars? The Kit Kats? The Jolly Ranchers? It was a cute display, though. I guess the thought was there and to people who never experienced Halloween before, it was probably up to their expectations.

We ate dinner at Costco. My host fam bought a huge pizza and these 불고기 and cheese filled bread baguette looking things? I think they were called Bakes? They were so good though! I would eat it again.

At home, I just hung out with my host family and did some of my homework. I worked on a new Quizlet and started the workbook pages. I also edited some blog posts and scheduled them to be posted next month. I am happy to say that I’ve been really good at being up to date on my blog posts~ I’ve been trying really hard to write one every single day. {or catching up on a second one when I’ve had a busy day}

That’s all for this blog post~ I hope you enjoyed! I’m so happy it’s the weekend now~ I can relax and have some final fun before school starts on Monday!!! AHHHH Actually, I am really excited while also simultaneously wanting to scream 24/7. This is going to be fun~

09/27/18

I woke up early today again to be able to eat breakfast with my host sisters. Today’s spread included 미역국 (seaweed soup), 밥 (rice), 전 (Korean style savory pancakes), and what I think was 계란찜과 새우 (steamed eggs with shrimp)? {I’m not exactly sure what my host mom told me.}

Breakfast

I left the house early—without eating lunch— to meet up with Katie at 홍대역. We planned to find this cafe that looked like an inside of a comic book. All the furniture and decorations were black and white and looked like they were drawn by hand. We were excited to take cute pictures and get some studying done there; however, our luck didn’t actually play out in the way we hoped.

The first thing that went wrong was our meeting. We planned to meet at Exit 2 at 11am. Katie arrived at 10:59 while I got there at 11:02. I waited till 11:15 for Katie wondering where she was. Finally, by texting each other, we found out that she had been waiting outside the station the whole time while I was waiting inside. Dumb move by yours truly.

I pulled up the cafe on Kakao maps but with no WiFi… I had to rely on my screenshots and the locations that were showing up as road markers. At first, we were going the right way, we passed exit three and found the forest path but eventually, we realized that we had walked away too far and were now approaching 가좌역. We retraced our steps and found the right place to turn. It looked like our luck at turned around! I found the restaurant that was marked on the map; however, that was the last of our successes. We kept walking and realized that we had no idea where we were going. The place that we were surprised to turn at seemed to not exist anymore? We decided to give and turn around and find another cafe to sit at. While we were backtracking, I found another place that was marked closer to the cafe. We literally groaned in frustration. Now we know the side street to turn on… we will go back; I promise you that!

We walked back closer to exit three and decided to pick a random place. I recommended 망원동 티라미수 because I had been there before and knew there was good seating and free WiFi.

We stayed there for about an hour memorizing vocab and eating tiramisu. This time I actually got something! Green Tea Tiramisu cake~

This entire week the Better World Office was closed for 추석 연휴 so we were having Korean class at a youth center {the same one that 1반 and 2반 usually have their classes at}. Honestly, I wish we could have class there everyday! The walk from the station is so short {compared to our 15-minute commute by foot} and everyone else is there! So during breaks, I could talk to and rant to the other kids on our program. Because of our class location, I hadn’t seen many of them for days!

Today… Korean class was not too bad. I felt that I understood the new grammar points well and I was more creative when giving example sentences. I also explained what I did over the 추석 break semi-coherently! Though, there were still many times where I was confused and missed entire parts of the conversations (will that ever change?)

After class, I let my host mom know that I was going to be home late as I planned to hang out with my friends for a bit (and buy my host sister a gift!). We first went to Gongcha for bubble tea (my first time since arriving in Korea again) and then we went to this restaurant called Pizza School for–you guessed it–pizza. Jacquelyn, Liam, Katie, and I split a 불고기 피자. Honestly, I really dislike Korean pizza… where can I find true American style pizza??? Help a girl out!

Katie came with me to a vintage toy shop nearby. They had Pez dispensers, cute accessories, Disney themed things, and they even had lots of old McDonald toys. I collected these Madame Alexander mini porcelain dolls from McDonald Happy Meals when I was little but sold them all at garage sales. It was so nostalgic to see them there. In the store, I bought a lollipop pen and a Minnie Mouse hand mirror for my host sister. The store owner was so nice; she even gave me a real lollipop as a service. (I was happy to know that my sister could get a real lollipop along with her fake one.)

Liam and Katie left right after dinner to go home (lucky for them, they live so close!), so Jacquelyn and I hung out for a little bit more. We checked out this Shabu Shabu restaurant that we want to go to for a birthday lunch get together for Jaquelyn and Hunter and looked around Butter (It is like an Artbox mixed with Daiso? It has mostly homeware I would say.) I picked up a bow ponytail for my host sister and a bag to put everything in.

At night, I talked with my host family for a bit while eating chestnuts (for the first time! Like I had to bite them to open them and get to the inside) and drinking 식혜 (sweet rice drink). My host dad is really enthusiastic about be starting school soon because he thinks that 하나고 is a great school. He kept asking me if I knew if he could visit with me soon. He said if not, we could all take a trip to the 한옥마을 박물관 that is right across the street and a temple that is not too far from the school too. I am really appreciative that my host family wants to do so many things with me!

Chestnuts (밤), cookies, and 식혜!~

That is all for this blog post! I am so happy that tomorrow is Friday~ I cannot wait for the weekend. This week was action packed and crazy so I am excited to rest a bit this weekend~ I hope you enjoyed this post! 다음에 봐요~~

09/26/18

I woke up this morning naturally– no alarm clock or loud noise jolting me awake. It was so nice to sleep in once again. My eldest host sister and I were the first ones to wake up so we hung out together in the living room area until everyone stirred awake.

Early in the morning~ Looking like an egg ❤

After breakfast, my host mom wanted my eldest host sister and me to hang out around the resort and spend 30 minutes speaking only in English. We went outside to an open field and played badminton for a while (The wind was so strong, so we kept missing so often). Then we walked down this path which had such beautiful trees that were already changing colors. Seeing the red, yellow, orange leaves on the trees made me so excited for fall! (It is my favorite season~) There were also these nice lakes (with huge fish in them!) that also had fountains. I walked around my host sister and we chatted (mostly in Korean at first) and took lots of photos. While walking back to the building, I started asking my host sister questions in English as she got more comfortable speaking it around me. I learned a lot of things about her (which I noted in my mind in case I need to know them later) and I shared things about myself too.

When we got back to the room, we checked out of our room and proceeded to hang out around the resort. My host dad and brother wanted to hike some trails and catch bugs, but all the girls were tired so we walked back to the lake I walked to earlier with my host sister to relax on the benches and feed the fish. I am pretty sure that what we were doing was wrong but there was no sign? I feel like in America there would definitely be a sign. We fed them chocolate chip cookies… yup perfect for their diet!

While we were waiting for my host dad and brother to return, my host sisters proceeded to interview me with super formal Korean and I am proud to say that I did pretty well in understanding them and answering. I talked to them about my high school in America and the differences I have observed already between my school and Korean school life. It was a fun conversation and I ended up laughing so much as they shoved candy containers near my face to act as microphones and pretended to take photos of me like paparazzi.

When the guys returned, we left the resort to get some lunch. We ordered a hefty lunch of 콩나물국밥 (Bean Sprout Porridge), 비빔밥 (Bibimbap – mixed rice and vegetables), and 막국수 (buckwheat noodles). The noodles were buckwheat noodles that were cold and spicy once you added 고추장 to it. To me, it was like 물냉면 (Cold Water Noodles) without all the water and mustardy/vinegary taste. The 쿵나물국밥 was delicious. It had the texture of porridge but it was like porridge mixed with rice? I feel like that would be the best thing to eat when you are sick. I think the 비빔밥 was the best dish even though sometimes I find it boring. At this restaurant, it was delicious! 10/10 would recommend~

After lunch, we planned to rent bikes and ATVs to ride around the river and mountain trails with. My host mom took my host brother on the ATV trails while I rode a tandem bicycle with my eldest host sister. {And my host dad rode on a tandem bicycle with my younger host sister.}

Riding the bikes was honestly very tiring—especially when going up a hill. I was in the front so I had to steer and pull most of the weight. Though my legs definitely hurt afterward and when I got off the bike I wobbled at first, it was so much fun. I love riding bikes and going around the park near my host family’s apartment complex just wasn’t giving it total justice. These were real trails surrounded by nature: water, trees, mountains! It was so relaxing to take everything in and to ride till my legs wanted to fall off. I also had a blast chatting with my host sister. I felt really comfortable at that moment so my Korean just came out naturally— I wasn’t overthinking or preplanning what I wanted to say. It was a lot of fun, lots of laughs included.

After riding our vehicles, we walked over to the river because my host brother wanted to catch some fish. I was too tired to participate so I just laid down on the rocks in the middle of the river and chatted with my host sisters. They continued the interview questions from earlier.

Once the fish was caught and we were all tuckered out, we began the 1.5-hour drive back home. I slept during most of it because I was so physically exhausted.

After dinner, I retreated back to my room to start my homework because I refused to do it over the 추석 Break. I did study a bit from my textbook and go over vocab words, but I refrained from completing any actual assigned homework.

I had to write a diary entry about what I did during the 추석 break. We used the special grid paper and were required to write one page or one-page front and back. I only ended up writing about my Monday because took up an entire page and a quarter. I also liked that I wrote too much for that day because I had learned vocab to describe what we did but the other two days would have required a lot of Naver Dictionary…

I finished my writing pretty early and then studied vocab on Quizlet for a bit. After all my academic priorities were taken care of, I just relaxed in bed catching up on YouTube subscriptions.

And that was the final day of my 추석 break! These three days have been action packed and I have enjoyed all these moments. If I haven’t mentioned already, I am so very grateful to my host family {and NSLI-Y might I add} for giving me all these amazing memories. Thanks for reading!~

09/25/18

Today was a confusing day from the start. But it was the sort of confusion that didn’t lead to frustration or anger but to an elevated sense of happiness when you realize what’s going on. At first, today, I thought we were going to visit more relatives. I didn’t realize that we were actually taking a two day and one-night mini vacation.

The whole 1.5 car ride to our final destination was spent sleeping and wondering how I would manage the many hours with my host family’s Korean relatives. It wasn’t until we were driving down a windy road near the mountains with the signs “Elysian Gangchon Resort” did I realize that we were really on a ‍추석 trip! I was ecstatic! I haven’t stayed at a hotel or resort since I was a child, so as we approached the huge building and the scenic paths guided with trees already changing colors, I was in awe.

The first thing on our agenda was hiking 구곡폭포 {Gugok Falls}. We drove up to the entrance and to my host dad’s surprise parking {or maybe the entrance fee?} was free because it was the 추석 holidays. My host dad literally did a happy dance when he figured that out. The hiking trail was marked with nine markers that all represented something with a deeper meaning like 꿈 (dream) and such {Though the 9th market up by the waterfall was just 끝}

Hiking was something I never really dabbled in prior to this experience, but it was really fun. There wasn’t too much of an incline so the walking wasn’t hard on my legs, and the weather was cooler in comparison to 서울 which made everything more enjoyable.

While hiking, I talked with my host mom and sisters on a variety of topics. {I also just breathed in the fresh air and enjoyed the nature— something that I had missed!} My host mom taught me the word 산림욕 which translated to a forest bath. I am assuming it is like a break from city living by getting out into nature.

After our hike, we were all terribly hungry and no one seemed to be able to wait until lunch. So at the entrance of the trail, I got to try two foods I have never eaten before: 번데기 (silkworm larva) and 다슬기 (marsh snails). To be honest, I was so scared to try both of them but my host sisters were really convincing because they found them both so delicious. I first tried the snails because they seemed friendlier? Honestly, they did not taste like much, just like a lot of other seafood (to me). Now, the silkworm larva… hmmm, they were strange. Like the taste itself was not bad (not gag-inducing like how I have seen people describe it). The texture was a bit weird and I could not get it out of my head that I was eating a bug but other than that, they were not bad. Would I get it again? No. But it was an experience!

We made a stop at an eatery for 닭갈비 (spicy stir-fried chicken) for lunch. Apparently, 춘천 is famous for their 닭갈비 and I could get a sense of that since nearly every restaurant had 닭갈비 in big, bold letters. {Also 막국수 (buckwheat noodles) is also very popular according to my host dad}

We went to this grilling place that had such a great atmosphere. We had to take our shoes off and sit on mats on a raised platform. And let me tell you, I can understand why it was famous! The food was delicious! They even had the thin radish slices to wrap up the meat which is my favorite way to eat any grilled meat. Also, though this may seem trivial, I felt so included in the family during this meal. My host mom was grilling the meat on one side of the table while my host dad focused on the other. My host mom kept placing meat on the part of the grill closest to me to make sure I was getting some. And then, she proceeded to place more in my actual dish. This made me feel so warm inside because not only were they including me in their meal, she was taking care of me— making sure I was fed. It was very sweet.

After lunch, we drove back to the resort to get some rest in before we continued our day filled with activities. We got into our room and I was so shocked; it was so nice! I haven’t stayed in a hotel in several years so I really saw this as a special treat. I would be sleeping in the same room as my host sisters on futon style beds on the floor. We relaxed for about 30 minutes and then we’re out the door as quickly as the resting time seemed to pass.

The week leading up to 추석, I heard a lot about 레일바이크 {Railbikes}. This was a term I have never heard previously and decided to let it be a surprise. We drove out to the 강촌 레일바이크 파크 (RailBike Park) and I saw them. The rail bikes were these large 4 seater bikes {?? I wouldn’t call them bikes but I do not know what else to call them} that were placed on a railroad {a railroad that I later found out had been abandoned; it is no longer in use. {Which is obvious but thought that it was cool. They didn’t just create this structure for the park, but instead, they repurposed an old one.}

Riding the rail bikes was pretty tiring because we were pedaling non- stop mostly for around 45 minutes with a short break and then back to pedaling for 45 minutes. {or actually probably a bit less since it was more downhill coming back} And although I’m making it seem like a lot, it was so much fun. I couldn’t stop smiling and laughing with my host mom and sisters {I rode the bike with them} while taking in all the beautiful views too. The best part was when the rail bike went over the river; it was beautiful. I love 서울 but these views have definitely got it beat! Nature is just so different than tall buildings {though I love me a good skyline}.

After our endeavor with the rail bikes, we got into the car and drove to another place. {I know! We did so much. They truly spoiled me… us!}

We visited the 소양강 스카이워크 (Soyang River Sky Walk) which is basically this giant glass bridge suspended over the river. So as you are walking on the bridge, you can look down to see the water underneath your feet. It was pretty scary at first because thoughts of death would not leave my mind, but after a while, all I could think about was how beautiful the view was and how cool the walk was. My youngest host sister and brother were not having it at all so they sat while my host sister and I took lots of pictures and posed for some as well. We even sat down on the glass (we were such daredevils.)

For dinner, we picked up some 닭강정 (sweet crispy chicken — another specialty of 춘천 apparently) and ate it in our room along with some 라면 (ramen) and instant 밥 (rice). We quietly ate as we were all hungry and tired and just wanted to fill our bellies! (We also watched a Korean children’s tv show while eating. I am happy to say that I understood some of it… I would not say most… but a good amount?)

The rest of the night was spent relaxing. I wrote a blog post on the couch while my host sisters were sitting next to me either reading or playing on their parents’ phone. I felt bad for not studying but I wanted to enjoy these moments, these conversations so I let myself be in the moment. The second day of 추석 was amazing! I am so grateful and blessed~

Thanks for reading this post! I hope you had/have a great day! I have been pretty bad at posting regularly for this past week… I ran out of edited posts and this week was too hectic (due to school work, huge Korean test, and my birthday/hangouts with friends) for me to edit and schedule more. I hope I can get back to posting 2-3 times a week! Stay tuned for more!

09/24/18

I woke up this morning bright and early— if you can even call it that since I was up before the sun. I woke up at 5 am to leave for my host family’s relatives’ house at 6 am.

My host family decided it would be best to drop me off at the house of my host grandmother {mom’s side} for a few hours while the family visited the dad’s relatives. I didn’t really understand the explanation on why I wasn’t going but I think it was mostly because I wouldn’t understand all of them? My host mom said I could I could watch my host grandmother prepare and perform 차례 {ancestral rites} and then sleep a bit more as they have an empty room.

They dropped me off at 7 am and I was quite awkward with my host grandmother at first. She gave me some 식혜 {traditional Korean rice drink} while she finished cooking some of the food being offered to the ancestors. I also helped! She took out these round dishes and I plated them with a variety of things: 대추 (Jujube), 약과 (fried pastry), 성편 (filled rice cake), and other things I didn’t know the name of…

식혜: traditional Korean sweet rice beverage

I watched as my host grandmother, host grandfather, and host uncle {I believe? He didn’t talk much. Stayed in his room mostly} bowed as they performed 차례.

Afterward, I also helped clean up by putting the food back in their original bags and wiping down any of the wet dishes.

I ate breakfast with my host grandfather and grandmother. We ate 갈비탕 (short rib soup) and lots of 반찬 (side dishes) like 오이 김치 (cucumber kimchi), 전 {소고기, 김치, etc} (Korean style fried pancakes– beef, kimchi, etc), 생선 (fish). And to my surprise, I could actually hold a conversation with them despite my lack of Korean skills. They did not even use English at all! They asked me lots of questions about my life in America and why I wanted to come to Korea. My host grandmother also asked me what my favorite Korean food was. This is always a hard question to answer but I went with 잡채, a forever favorite. She told me that she would teach me how to make it later and I wanted to cry at how sweet that sentiment was. I also got to try 송편 finally! Ever since I learned about it in class (and did more research when creating my 추석 project, I have been yearning to try it! I had a yellow one and it had 팥 (red bean) inside. Very delicious!

After breakfast, my host grandmother made me a place to crash in the empty storage room and I slept there for about 2 hours. I woke up to see my host grandmother preparing what seemed like 잡채. There was a large bowl on the floor with mixed vegetables inside. My host grandmother then poured see-through glass noodles into the bowl. It was around 11:30 am now and while she was cooking, my host family arrived. My host sisters, host mother, and I sat on the kitchen floor while my host grandmother mixed the 잡채 together. We used our hands to grab some noodles and veggies to eat. My host grandmother then grabbed a handful and fed it to my eldest host sister. The next thing that happened, which also took me by surprise, was that she did the very same thing to me! She grabbed a handful and told me to tilt my head back as she dropped the noodles into my mouth. At this moment, I felt so very grateful to this family for treating me like on their own (as best as they possibly can). I was so happy to be welcomed with open arms (or should I say with mouthfuls of noodles– and lots of other foods). But also at this moment, I felt a slight feeling of sadness. All I could think about was my mother and how much I missed her– her hugs, her comfort, her cooking, her presence, etc.

Shortly after my host family arrived, we sat down in the living room and ate a big lunch. My host dad taught me a fancy word to use for this meal: 진수성찬 (translates to a sumptuous feast). After dinner, all the kids now had tons of energy and we needed to burn it off somehow so we took a little walk! (But beforehand, we stopped at a shop near the apartment complex to pick up snacks. I just got the same chocolate bar my host sisters were getting.) While getting to the store, my eldest host sister and I missed the elevator. The others would not wait for us! Instead of waiting for it to go down and back up 20 something floors, we decided to run down the stairs. Wow, was I dizzy afterward. And then, as we walked to the store, my host sister and I walked with our arms hooked and we skipped a bit. This may sound silly, but it truly made me feel like a big sister~

Our 추석 feast!

The said chocolate bar– it tasted like a Crunch Bar

I know that I was in 서울, but to be honest I do not know where. But near where my host grandparents lived, there was a large river park. Along the river, there were walking and bicycle paths, basketball courts, and lots of open spaces. Across the river, there were stones so that you could walk across them. The weather was not too cold or too hot and the wind blowing off the water felt so good. I could have stayed there for hours.

On our way back, we also took some time to play on the exercise machines. This park area had a bigger variety in comparison to the ones close to my host family’s home. It was entertaining to try out all the new structures. (And it was even funnier to watch my host brother be tilted to upside down. He was having a blast, though.)

Upon returning back to the apartment, my host grandmother was already preparing bowls of 시계 for everyone. I sat at the kitchen table with my host mother and host grandmother and enjoyed the cooling effects of the sweet 시계 and some more 송편. We talked some more which was fun (and good practice for me).

For dinner, we had 김치찌개 (kimchi stew), 잔치국수 (party noodles) and all the 반찬 (side dishes) from the previous meals. It was all very delicious. We all ate in the living room once again on the foldable table. And this time, my host uncle (possibly?) joined us, too. I do not know how every dish was able to fit on the table; it will forever be a mystery to me.

After dinner, we relaxed some more: watched tv, read books, studied a bit. When it was time to go, we all took a quick look outside to see the full moon from the balcony. It is part of a 추석 tradition to make a wish on the full moon (and I knew this from my Korean class!) I made a wish with my youngest host sister, and then we began the hour drive back home.

Cannot tell you my wish or it will not come true!~

That is all for this blog post! This day was a really special day to me and I really hoped that it has helped me move along the relationship I have with my host family. Additionally, in my NSLI-Y essays, I wrote about getting to experience more of Korean culture and society, like through their holidays. I could not have asked for a better day. I am so thankful. Also, this is my 100th blog post! I cannot believe I have written that many… I wonder how many words that comes out to be?

09/23/18

Today was my youngest host sister’s birthday. We spent the day one part chilling at home in each other’s company and the other part being outside doing a million different things.

I woke up pretty late and stayed in my room to sort my laundry and message some friends so when I did come out, my eldest host sister and host dad had already eaten. So I ate with my host mother only. We had a nice breakfast of 계란 (egg), 미역국 (seaweed soup), 밥 (rice), and of course lots of 반찬 {side dishes}.

I watched some television with my host sisters and studied a bit of Korean that morning too {I had done none the day before. I’m studying from the book one level below the one I’m using in class. I’m making sure I know all the grammar and vocab in that book to truly allow me to catch up to everyone. I know a lot of it already but there are some new ones. In particular, there are grammar points that I only understand but can’t implement or that I know how to use by naturally picking it up from others but never actually learned the rules behind them.}

After studying, my youngest host sister asked me if I wanted to ride bikes and I was all for it! I hadn’t ridden a bike in a while and I have missed it! At home back in the states, I would just hop on my bike and ride around the neighborhood for fun, for a little exercise, and to clear my head. I like thinking while riding bikes.

I got dressed and we all {except my host mom} left to go to the park. Now I’m not sure if all Korean bikes were like this but the one I was using had a very low frame? Does that make sense? I don’t know much about bike terms but it was not really like the one I ride back home. (Such a stupid statement by me! Yes, of course, there are different types of bikes! What is my mind?) When we got to the park, I realized that it was just a block away from the subway station I use to get to class! I will definitely have to visit that park again just to stroll around.

First, I just rode around with my host sister for a bit. I then left the area where everyone was staying to bike a longer path. It was so quiet and the trees draped over the path as if they were making a roof. It was pretty, and I really enjoyed the wind albeit it was a bit cold.

When I came back, my host dad asked me to join the badminton game with my host sister as he had become tired. While we played, we didn’t say much except the occasional “I’m sorry.” We mostly just laughed a lot because we were both not very good {though I will say that badminton is my favorite sport!}

After a couple rounds, I played on the 아줌마 (older lady) exercise machines with my sisters as we watched my host brother catch gross bugs. I know when I was little I caught frogs but bugs?!? It’s cute though~ He gets so excited when he catches one and watching him run around with a net bigger than him is adorable.

We went out for Chinese food for lunch— or at least Koreanized Chinese food. I ate 짜장면 and my favorite yellow radishes as a side dish! I had yet to see them since I’ve been here. They are my favorite! I also tried 짬뽕 (Spicy Seafood Soup) which was way too spicy for me and I like to consider myself a person that can handle spice. My host mom also made me try this thing that was in the soup. You bit into it and it burst and stuff came out, but you wouldn’t eat the outside. I really don’t know what it was so I will have to do some research to figure out what it was. (Still have no idea what it was… someone enlighten me?)

After lunch, we stayed at the park a bit more. My eldest host sister wasn’t very good at riding bikes so I took her around the park and made her comfortable riding it! We also played some more badminton. While we were playing, this little old lady came by and sat near us. She would make comments sometimes. Like when she first sat down, she was like “Oh my, your hair is so long!” And later when we kept missing the birdies, she said: “blame the wind!” It was cute~

I also rode my bike near the library with my youngest host sister. During our ride, she asked me lots of questions about Halloween. {She is very interested in it!} I think I want to surprise them by having a Halloween party! I can buy decorations at Daiso and buy lots and lots of candy. We can maybe watch a Halloween movie on Netflix! Maybe I can invite some NSLIY friends too~ I think that would be fun! We will see what happens.

After our tiring day at the park, we went to Baskin Robbins for ice cream. I got to try a flavor only available in Korea! I believe the name was “너는 참 달고나.” It’s an ice cream flavor based on the old Korean candy 달고나. Basically all sugar! But it was very very delicious~~

At night, we ate dinner at home. We had ribs {with their favorite TGIF barbecue sauce. They were excited to show it to me, and I was surprised to hear that’s popular here. Though, I don’t particularly like barbecue sauce.} For my host sister’s birthday party, my host mom made these sausage rice cake skewer type things and they are the best!

I studied a bit at night with the 이화 textbook and watched a Korean drama with my host sisters called 어느 와이프. We then celebrated my host sister’s birthday with a vanilla roll cake. We put one candle in it and sang her happy birthday again~

I played with my host sisters for a bit. We played this fun game where we would lie on the ground and play catch but we couldn’t really see the ball until it was right in front of our faces. It was quite thrilling.

We all ended up going to bed early cause we had to wake up before 6 am to visit relatives for 추석 (Korean Holiday)

Stay tuned for a 추석 post! And I hope you liked this one~ Thanks for reading!

09/22/18

I slept in this morning; it was so nice~ I woke up at around 9 am and then I left my room at about 9:15 am. The morning was hectic as everyone was running around to get ready for the birthday party starting at noon. My host mom was cooking while my host dad was cleaning the living room. I even helped out too by going with my eldest host sister to pick up the cake and buy some fruit for the party.

Decorations!~

We went to Tours Les Jours Bakery and picked up a chocolate golden cake and then to a fresh fruit stand right outside with fruits nicely packaged for 추석 presents. We decided to go with tangerines.

Birthday Cake!!!~

At home, we continued setting up. I stopped for a bit to FaceTime my friend. She’s currently thriving at Notre Dame and so we talked about that and some issues and worries she’s been having. I also ranted about Korean class and shared my excitement for all that is to come.

The party started a little after 12 once the two guests arrived. We set up a table in the living room with cake, snacks, sausage & rice cake skewers, ribs, and lots of fruit.

Once everyone ate, my host dad began some games he prepared earlier that evening. First, we played a version of Bingo. My host dad would say a topic {like countries} and then we had to fill in our card with our answers. I, obviously, could NOT fill out an entire sheet with country names so I ran into my room because there is a Korean globe in there. It saved me!

Then we all went around in a circle and said one country name from our sheet at a time and crossed them out as we went. The first person with three bingos was declared the winner. Hilariously enough, the birthday girl won each game!

After that game, we played something that I would describe it as a mix of telephone and charades. We all had to line up and face the opposite direction. My host dad showed the first person a random word and they had to come up with a gesture {no sounds allowed} to get the next person in the line to guess what the word represents. Everyone has to copy the gesture as they go down the line. Then, the last person has to say the word. I did pretty well actually! Even when I had to guess the word! I used Korean for all my answers besides one!

The last game was kind of like the board game Taboo. My host dad prepared a list of words and we had to try to get everyone else to guess the word without using the word. This game was a lot of fun cause it really tested my Korean abilities!

For example, my first word was 핸드폰 {cellphone}

So I said “메시지를 보내고 싶을 때 뭐 사용해요?” {When you want to send a message, what do you use?}

After games, I had to relax for a bit since I was so tired. I ended up falling asleep for like 20 minutes {power nap!!}

For dinner, we ate some fried chicken and seaweed soup. {My host mom told me that seaweed soup is usually eaten during birthdays. I told her that I learned, in class, that you shouldn’t eat seaweed soup before taking a test. It’s a Korean superstition that says you will not do well on the test since the soup is so slippery.}

I watched Parent Trap with my host sisters for a bit before I went to bed. I put on Korean subtitles for them, but it was also interesting to see how they were different from what was actually said.

And that was my Saturday with my host family~ I will be spending a lot of time with them for the next couple of days since it’s the 추석 holidays. I’m even going with them to visit relatives. I’m grateful that I can be a part of that~ I’m very lucky to have been placed with my host family~ They are the best!

{9/21/18}

For this past week, we have been having intensive Korean class from 2pm to 6pm every single day. Today was our last 4 hour class of the week. It seemed like this day would never come!

The classes were exactly like the summer program, four hour daily classes; however, they did feel a lot different. During my summer program I definitely was at the bottom of the class and had to do catch up during the first two weeks, but this time I am wayyy at the bottom. I lack so much knowledge of grammar and vocabulary. Also, playing catch up at this level—with such difficult vocabulary— is hard to accomplish. Additionally, the timing of the class, to me, makes it harder. Once Korean class is over, it starts getting dark and we have to hurry home for dinner. But I am not trying to only complain! I am wholeheartedly grateful to these classes, and I have already seen a small improvement– though my confidence needs some work.

From now on, I will only be having Korean class every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. On those days, I will be leaving my host high school after lunch time (still am not quite sure when that will be) to take the subway and head to class by 2 pm. On Mondays and Tuesdays classes end at 5 pm while classes on Thursday will end at 6 pm. (This will make sure that we have 10 hours of Korean class every single week during the duration of the program. Though, I do believe we get a week off during winter break.)

This Friday morning was mostly spent studying. I had finished my 추석 presentation and my workbook pages the night prior, but I had to practice the grammar points for a quiz, study all the vocab I had made a Quizlet for, and memorize my presentation. This was the plan; however, it was quite a difficult thing to do because my host siblings would not leave me alone. We have gotten a lot closer and now they are not shy enough to stay out of my room when I go in– they happily follow me and sit next to me while I study, hovering over me. I find this really cute at times– especially when they draw cute things on the paper and decorate for me. However, sometimes I need just peace and quiet and privacy to study at the best of my abilities. I did get everything done, though. I finished memorizing my presentation on the subway by quietly whispering to myself! Hopefully, no one heard me 😛

During class, we took our quiz and I did worse than what I would have hoped for. I spelled one word wrong, used the wrong verb, and then I failed to utilize a grammar point correctly… so look at me failing at Korean….

I gave my 추석 presentation first (so I would not have to try and follow up Jacquelyn’s or Josh’s presentation– which was probably my best decision that day because Josh’s went into depth about the history of 추석 and Jacquelyn discussed gender discrimination stemming from 추석 traditions {or so I believe because like I said my Korean is not good!!}) What did I talk about? The basics of 추석: what foods are eaten, what games they play, and other traditions. Yeah… mine was definitely child’s play in comparison to theirs….

One of my presentation slides

After class, I was beat. Staying up till 1:30 am made it hard to not nod off in class and I just wanted to get home right away! Luckily, a lot of people had left 서울 already to visit hometowns, so the subway was not too crowded. I took the line up to my host family’s home and I was not packed like a sardine during the duration of my commute~

We also started prepping for my host sister’s birthday party~

For dinner, I ate with the entire family. We had fish, 김치찌개 (Kimchi Stew), and other side dishes. I ate 멸치 (Anchovy) for the first time ever, too. At first, I did not know what it was (yes… I missed the eyes) but I did really like it. When I found out what it was, I was shocked!! I continued to eat it though because I am not the type of person that gets grossed out by something after knowing what it is. It was good before I knew and it is still good now. Probably one of my favorite side dishes (after squid and cucumber kimchi)

I studied Korean a bit last night so I would not have to spend much more time doing that later. I made a quizlet with the words from my textbook and the ones I did not understand during class and then I got a head start on the textbook vocabulary for the next class by making a quizlet for that too. While I was studying, my host sisters were hanging out with me in my room. The youngest of the two began using my pens to draw me. It was adorable! I took a break from studying to draw her too. My eldest host sister felt left out and wanted me to draw her, so I did. She drew me too! Now their two drawings decorate my room~ Makes it more personal!

We played around with Snow and Snapchat filters too!~

I went to bed early that night because I was so tired~ I fell asleep listening to some Youtube videos.

Thank you for reading this post~ Subscribe to my blog if you want to receive alerts when I upload a new post. I am doing daily posts as of now but I have a feeling that will shortly turn into posts that encompass several days as I have less and less time to write. We will see… I also feel like these may be super boring to most people probably? Since in most of them, I am not doing too many exciting things like I did during the NSLI-Y summer program. But, I mean, that is real life on an AY program~

09/20/18

On Thursday, I woke up a little bit before 7 to get ready for the day. We would be having our last Better World Orientation at their office around 9:45 in the morning. This meant waking up earlier to be able to take a shower and get there on time.

I ate breakfast with my host sisters and we both left the house at the same time— them for school and me to talk about culture, communication, and “How my week is going.” For breakfast that morning, we had chicken soup, rice, and more side dishes including 돈까스 {fried pork cutlet}, 오징어 {squid}, 김치 (Kimchi) and 오이김치 {cucumber kimchi}.

Breakfast! (Already started eating before snapping the picture, sorry!)

When I got to 홍대 station, Liam was waiting there for someone to walk with him, so we ended up walking to the office together. We talked about Korean class and other awkward small talk topics.

We were like the 3rd and 4th NSLIYian to arrive so we had to sit and chat for a while. 9:45 came around and someone was missing… Josh!

민정쌤 told us that in Korean {friend} culture, when someone shows up to a plan late, the other people in the group often clap when they arrive and force them to do a punishment. We decided on dancing or singing along to a song!

When Josh walked in, we all stood up and clapped while he huffed and puffed from what I presume was him being out of breath because of running to the office.

He went to the front, onto the stage, and 민정쌤 played a Black Pink song. Josh starts dancing but it looks more like Jazzercise. It seems like he was doing jumping jacks and getting his steps in for the day! Everyone had their phone pulled out, Snapchat open, to write this moment down in history.

Our orientation consisted of talking about how different Koreans and Americans communicate. We learned about the term high and low context cultures. High context cultures depend a lot on already established context like things done, none verbal communication like facial expressions and gestures. This can cause someone to often beat around the bush and come off to be passive aggressive.

On the other hand, low context cultures say everything directly with verbal communication. These people are usually very blunt and can come off as rude. They may not be able to pick up on hidden context.

We established that Korea {as are most Asian countries} is a country that follows high context culture, while Americans {often} follow low context culture.

After that lesson, we went on to look at some host school case studies—commonly had problems— and how to solve them. They revolve around feeling lonely in class, getting yelled at for doing Korean homework, and such.

We were supposed to have a cultural activity on Saturday together, but the rain made Better World Reschedule. They decided to show this to us through pictures on their slide show! XD

Once that was over, we were free for lunch! Better World wouldn’t be taking us out for lunch but this day was covered by the lunch stipend we received last week.

I sat by Kaitlyn during the orientation and kept telling her that I was craving fried chicken, in particular… Kyochon Fried Chicken. I told her that we should eat lunch together. At the end of the orientation, everyone was asking where others were going for lunch and Kaitlyn just said, “Emma wants Chicken.” And then it was decided. We would ALL {yup, all 16 of us} eat fried chicken. I kind of remember where the building was {but I was not gonna trust my two-year-old, rusty memory map}, so I used Kakao maps to guide our way.

It was farther than I remembered and I soon found out why; they had changed location. Everyone was complaining about being hungry or “lost” but I was like just wait, guys! I know what I am doing~

Eventually, we made it! 5 minutes till opening which was perfect because the whole restaurant was empty. We were able to sit all 16 of us at three tables in the back on the second floor.

I sat with Kaitlyn, Katie, Liam, Jacquelyn, and McKenzie. We ended up getting an order of the red original chicken {spicy} and the honey original chicken {my favorite}. It was delicious! Even more than what I remembered {probably cause I was so hungry}. I ate so much and was totally stuffed after.

After we finished eating, Katie and I tried to exchange money at the bank (Keyword: TRIED). We walked into a 신한은행 {Shinhan Bank} but realized we had no idea how to say anything relating to exchanging money in Korean. With no source of WiFi, we left real quick.

{Luckily, I learned the word to exchange in class today! I am currently writing this on the subway on my way home from class. 환전하다 means to exchange (money)}

I think Katie and I will try our luck again next week Thursday or Friday {After the 추석 holidays are over}. These two days are the last weekdays before high school starts so we will have to wait for the weekend if we don’t get it done then!

Class today wasn’t terribly bad. Yes, there were moments where I was completely lost. Yes, I filled three pages of my notebook with words I didn’t know. However, I talked more than I usually do! I gave extra information in my example sentences just for the heck of it! And, I tried my best to add to the conversation as much as possible.

The Better World Staff gifted us some traditional Korean candy and snacks they received as 추석 presents. Here is Josh trying to eat one of them!

After class, I decided to get dinner with some of the NSLI-Y students. It was the first time I wasn’t having dinner with my host family since the start of the program, but I texted my host mom during lunch to let her know. Jacquelyn really wanted 짜장면 (Black Bean Noodles), so she found a highly recommended place and we TRIED finding it. She pulled it up on Naver Maps, but it was still a lost cause– we trekked all over and could not find it. We then gave up and sat down at a Meat restaurant but left as soon as we sat down. We found out that each person had to order a serving of meat but a lot of people were not feeling too hungry or up for meat. We kept walking and decided to just grab some dinner at a convenience store. Honestly, I was happy; I was kind of craving 김밥 lately. We got our food and sat outside along the walkway, eating our dinner and chatting. It was actually really nice~

After eating Hunter, Harmony, June, and Alix left cause their commutes were pretty far. That left Kaitlyn, Addie, Jacquelyn, and me to hunt for some dessert. We all wanted 빙수 (Korean shaved ice dessert) originally but the place we tried first only had personal bowls— no sharing permitted. Then, the second place we went to… their story was their machine was broken! After that, our 빙수 dreams were shattered. We kept on walking, trying to get our sweet tooth craving in, and eventually discovered a tiramisu place. I wasn’t feeling cake, and I don’t think I like Tiramisu very much, so I didn’t get anything. But the cafe was really cute inside and the cakes were not on plates but in cups, instead! It was quite unique! Jacquelyn got the original flavor while Addie got earl gray. I definitely would have eaten one but I didn’t want to spend $6 on it. #savingthatstipend

Me, Jacquelyn, Addie, and Kaitlyn!

The fun part of my night ended like that, the rest was spent agonizing over workbook sheets, my presentation on 추석, and studying for a grammar quiz.

I went to bed at 1:30 am that night working on my presentation. I broke out my American snacks for the late night study session. I’ll have to ask my mom to send more!